Shipwreck Treasure in Brazoria County

Rumors of a pirate ship wrecked at the mouth of the St. Bernard River, in Brazoria County have persisted for more than a century. It is said that the ship put into the river about 1816 to escape a hurricane. Before the vessel was destroyed by the storm, the crew took ashore and buried a treasure estimated at $10,000,000. When the storm was over only one of the pirates remained alive. He is said to have settled down as a fisherman on Matagorda Island and frequently displayed gold coins. He admitted to having been a member of the ill-fated ship, but insisted he had not participated in the burial of the treasure and therefore knew only generally where it was hidden. In support of this story, it is said that Indians living in the area told early settlers of seeing the wreckage of a great ship after a storm had passed.